The present invention relates generally to supply feedstocks for workpiece finishing machines and, more particularly, to a supply feedstock having a plurality of individual workpieces successively arranged for separation by a workpiece finishing machine and sequential presentation to a loading means.
Robotic assemblers or loaders are used quite often in the manufacture of the electronic components. Such components include cellular telephones, pagers and the like. In the assembly of these electronic components it is beneficial to have certain portions of a component if not the entire component such as circuit boards assembled by automated machineries such as robotic loaders assemblers and welders. These robotic devices may include an arm which picks up a single part from a predesignated pickup location and moves it to a location where it is subsequently inserted or installed onto a portion of the circuit board or other portion of the electronic component. In order to maintain production line efficiencies, the robots need to have the individual parts repeatedly presented to them in a predesignated orientation and location. Deviation from this orientation and location may result in an electronic component which is lacking a particular part. Many electrical parts used in the assembly of such electronic components are delicate in nature because they are often stamped and formed from a thin sheet metal, and therefore, presenting the parts to a robot by way of a part hopper may lead to jamming of the overall system and possible damage to the part as well as obvious downtime of the production line.
To achieve a constant flow of parts to a robot, various types of feedstocks have been developed which deliver a plurality of individual parts to an assembly means. Some types of these feedstocks are often referred to as carrier strips or carrier tapes. One such type of carrier tape is known as "debossed tape and reel" and consists of a plastic carrier tape with a plurality of recessed pockets or openings formed therein along the longitudinal extent of the tape. A part is placed in each of the pockets and a plastic sealing tape or bonding tape is adhesively applied to the carrier tape, thereby sealing the parts in their respective pockets. The carrier tape is fed into a robot assembler and the seal tape is peeled away and the part removed and installed. Both the seal tape and the carrier tape are then discharged to waste by the robot. Examples of such constructions are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,712,675 and 4,781,953. However, human insertion of the parts into the pockets is often required and the two-part nature of the debossed tape is expensive. Additionally, a specific orientation of the parts in the pocket must also be maintained for pick-up by the robot loader.
Another type of carrier type is known by the tradename of "GPAX" and is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,641 and 4,757,895. In a GPAX-type structure, a carrier type is provided with a plurality of holes and intervening slots punched into it for its longitudinal extent. The holes are adapted to engage legs or stubs of each electrical part to insure proper and secure positioning of the part on the tape. A plastic bonding tape overlays the carrier tape and parts and is pressed or stitched into the carrier tape between adjacent parts. This bonding tape offers protection to the parts and retains the parts in place on the carrier tape. This type of carrier tape construction shares certain disadvantages with the debossed tape and reel construction previously described. For example, the assembled tapes are composed of multiple pieces and thus increases the amount of waste generated by the process. Neither of these constructions include or even suggest a carrier type or supply feedstock which is created during the forming of the parts contained within the carrier tape.
The present invention is directed to a supply feedstock which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and provides benefits not obtainable with the aforementioned constructions.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a supply feedstock intended for use in a finishing machine is provided in the form of a succession of individual workpieces, or parts, arranged in sequential order in a continuous coil or belt. The continuous coil takes on the appearance of a bandolier of individual workpieces. The workpieces are arranged in adjacent, or side-by-side, order by a series of webs which interconnect adjacent workpieces along the length of the feedstock. The webs are attached to the workpieces at points where they are easily trimmed off by, for example, a punch press or die in a finishing machine which sequentially separates the workpieces from the feedstock and presents the workpiece to a robotic loader or assembler.
In another principal aspect of the present invention, each web is disposed outside of the general perimeter of each workpiece to reduce the amount of waste generated during separation of workpieces from the feedstock as well as to permit the forming of the workpiece in place within the feedstock. The webs may also contain a suitable means for indexing feedstock within the finishing machine.
In yet another principal aspect of the present invention, each workpiece formed within the feedstock includes a surface which is presented to a robotic loader after trimming of the workpiece from the feedstock. This presentation surface may be planar, or it may be defined by workpiece sidewall portions which form edges of the presentation surface. These sidewalls cooperate with the presentation surface and define an engagement space which is engaged by a part positioning horn or other suitable means of the finishing machine.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved supply feedstock for finishing machines which trims a part from the feedstock and presents the part to a robotic loader or assembler.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a supply feedstock containing a plurality of individual workpieces intended for use in a finishing machine having means for separating an individual workpiece from the feedstock and subsequently presenting the workpiece in sequential order to a robotic loader or assembler, wherein the feedstock includes a plurality of individual workpieces arranged sequentially in adjacent fashion and in a predetermined spacing, each of the workpieces being maintained and interconnected with each other by integral, planar webs, which maintain the workpieces in their predetermined spacing.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a supply bandolier for a finishing machine wherein the bandolier is in the form of a continuous belt of workpieces arranged in side-by-side order, the workpieces being interconnected by web portions extended between adjacent workpieces which web portions are discharged to waste during separation of the workpieces from the bandolier, each of the workpieces having a robot presentation surface disposed between the associated web portions, the presentation surface further including an engagement space which is adapted to engage a part presentation means of the finishing machine.
These and other features and objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description.